Aerogels, and in particular silica aerogels, exhibit low density and low thermal conductivity making them useful as insulative materials. Aerogels also allow for the passage of light making them useful in fields where both high thermal insulation and high light translucency are appreciated. Aerogels can be formed by removing solvent from hydrogels, such as through supercritical drying techniques or via solvent substitution combined with ambient pressure drying.